Résumé
Effective communication between caregivers and patients is at the heart of healthcare. French hospitals accept immigrants and patients from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds every day. As a result, caregivers face language barriers in their daily practice, which impacts communication with patients and subsequently affects the quality of the care relationship. The aim of this study was to determine how language barriers affect the nurse-patient relationship. In this study, four state diploma nurses working in a public hospital were interviewed usingsemi-structured interviews. Each interview contained eight open-ended questions with followup questions. The nurses work in the emergency room, endocrinology department, and immigrant department. These anonymous interviews were recorded, transcribed, and subsequently analyzed. The survey underlines the recurring issue of communication problems in care settings. Carers reported significant difficulties in establishing contact with patients who do not speak the dominant language (allophone patients). The survey also identified limitations in the various methods used to overcome language barriers. Additionally, caregivers highlighted the negative impact of these communication barriers on the quality of care provided to patients and on building relationships between caregivers and patients. Language barriers strain the caregiver-patient relationship, demanding creative strategies to mitigate their negative effects. It would be interesting to explore how the cultural barrier impacting nurse-patient relationship.